Vapor electric apparatus.



A. M'. JAGKQON. VAPOR ELECTHC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED o01.31,19o4.

12116111611 Dec. 16, 1913.

Inventor* iexamder V11. Jackson,

Witnesses: f5 19% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER M. JACKSON, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERALELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee.. I6, 1913.

Application led October 31., 1904. Serial No. 230,719.

To alt whom it may concern:

lle it known that. l, ALEXANDER M. Jael;- soN, a subject ot the l(ing yof Great Britain residing at Schenectady, in the county o Schenectady,State otNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVapor Electric Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in connection with vaporelectric devices, and to details in the construction thereof usetul notonly in vapor electric apparatus but in other relations as well.

'lhe features of novelty characteristic of my invention I have pointedout with particularity in the appended claims. The inventionitselihowever will be better understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in connection With theaecompanying drawings whichrepresent a mercury vapor rectitier embodying my invention.

The rectifier which I have illustrated, as

,is usual in apparat-ns ot' this character, is

provided with a cathode and a plurality of anodes, one of which anodesserves as a starting electrode. The rectifier envelop containing' theseelectrodes consists of a glass receptacle exhausted as usual and havingtwo laterally arranged vertical tubular chambers or are tubes 1 and 2serving each to contain or inclose one of the main positive electrodesor anodcs 3 and 4. Between the chambers 1 and 2 is situated a portionot' the receptacle 5 much larger than the chambers before mentioned andconstituting a condensing chamber. The lower portion ot' the rectitieris fashioned so as to form a pocket containing a main body of mercury (iconstitilting' the cathode or negative electrode.

tcterring again to the anodes 3 and 4, it'. will be noticed that theyare not carried in the usual `manner by leading-in conductors passingthrough the Walls ot' the glass envelop. Thus for example the supportingwire or rod 7 for the anode 4 is provided at its upper end with a metaldisk 8 riveted or otherwise secured thereto and held in place in thesheet-metal cap 9. This metal cap is spun, stamped or otherwisecompressed about the disk 8 thereby forming' a bead 10 shown perhapsbest in the case of the electrode 3 at 1.0. The disk is thus solidlyheld in goed electrical connect-ion with the metal cap. The metal cap inturn closely and tightly eucircles the open upper end of the walls otthe chamber jl and 'tornis a vacuum tight. seal. The joint. made betweenthe two is formed by first placing the cap over the end of the tubularchamber 2, which it loosely tits, and then, after heating the partscare.- fully in the usual xrlassblowei"s gas jets to a temperaturesutlcient to soften the glass, an air pressure is applied so as to forcethe softened glass into intimate contact with the metal. Upon cooling,the metal shrinks tightly about the glass and forms a perfect hermeticjoint with the same. The metal chosen should piet'crably be one having ahigher coetlicient of expansion than glass, such for example as copper,iron, suitable alloys, or the like, and sutlicicntly thin so that incontracting, or in tending to contract aboutl the glass, it will give orstretch so as not to exert a crushing pressure upon the glass. Athickness ot about one one-hundredth of an inch gives good results. Acap supports the electrode 3 in the same way that the electrode l issupported, but, unlike the support for electrode 4, the externalappearance only ot' the construction is indicated in the drawine.

The bot-tom portion of the glass envelop of the rectilier is formed intoa tubular mouth 1l. A metal cap l). is sealed about this tubular mouthin the same manner as the cap seals are applied to the tubular portions1 and 2 of the rectifier envelop, and like the latter may be lormed of asimilar metal which, in the present instance, because of the presence otthe mercury (i, is preferably ironpwith which the mercury will notamalgamatc. The metal cap 1Q may be imperiorate and serve merely as aclosure and current-conveying means. l [ind it convenient however toarrange the starting electrode, usually adjacent to the cathode t3, inacentral position with respect to the cathode. This I do in the presentease by means ott a tube. 13 ot glass, fused quartz, or the like. whichI cause to be sealedv int-o a llangcd opening' 14 in the shell or cap 12and to extend upward so as to be p acti Aally or nearly on a level withthe surface of the mercury This tube is sealed into the hanged portion14, of the cap 12 in a manner already described. The lower end of thetube is closed by a metal cap 15 preferal'ily of iron, scaled about thelower end of the tube. Mercury 16 fills this central tube 13 andconstitutes a starting electrode which is connected to the circuit in amanner Well known in the art.

In starting up the apparatus the receptacle is shaken so as to causemercury to flow over the top of the tube 13 and make a temporaryelectrical bridge over the same, which as it breaks gives rise to astarting are which puts the apparatus into operation. Externalelectrical connection with the usual alternating potential source is, aswill be evident, made with the electrodes through connection with themetal caps with which each is connected.

It will be noted that the tubular chambers or are tubes l and 2 havebent portions or bends and inclose the anodes 3 and 4, located beyondthe bends. The bends in the are tubes lead to apertures opening into themain chamber or body 5 of the envelop in opposite directions. 'lhe outerportions of the are tubes are arranged in a vertical position. Similarlateral extensions ot the main rectifier envelop have been used before,but in these instances the extensions were inclined'. I find itadvantageous to have the extensions in a vertical position, since inthis position no mercury, due to condensation, even though the amount ofcondensation is very small with the small size of chamber used, will beapt to drop or fall upon the electrode surface. This obviates the dangerof arcing or dashing over between the anodes l and 2 which may takeplace whenever mercury is suddenly volatilized by contact with a hotanode. The presence of the bends in the arc tubes is also of assistancein preventing arcing.

The apparatus which I have shown in the drawings is intended merely asillustrative of my invention and, as will be evident to one skilled inthe art, may be modified in a variety of ways. I therefore do not wishto be limited to the exact details shown and described.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is,

1.v A vessel a part. at least of which is formed of vitreous material, aseal therefor consisting of a cap of metal tightly inclosing a portionof the vessel, and a conductor having an electrically conductive diskheld in contact with the cap.

2. A vessel formed in part at least of vitreous material, a sealtherefor consisting of a cap of metal tightly inclosing a portion of thevessel, a conductor having an electrically conductive disk held incontact with the cap, and an electrode connected to said conductor.

3. In a vapor electric apparatus, the combination of a vitreous envelop,a metal cap forming a ti ht joint with a portion of the envelop, a tu eof vitreous material forming a tight joint with an opening in -said capand projectin into the envelop and electrode materia in the tube andalso surrounding the tube.

' 4. In a vapox` electric apparatus, the combination of a vitreousenvelop, a metal cap forming a tight joint with a portion of theenvelop, a tu e of vitreous material forming a tight joint with anopening in said cap and projecting into the envelop, and a metal capclosing the outer end of said tube.

5. The combination of a tubular vitreous member, a thin metal capforming a tight joint therewith, and a conducting disk or plate insidesaid cap and in fixed relation to said cap..

6. The combination with a vapor electric apparatus, an exhaustedenvelop, provided with a negative electrode and a mam chamber therefor,positive electrodes and separate chambers therefor, the chamberssurrounding the positive electrodes being tubular and being providedwith at least one bend leading to apertures opening into the mainchamber in opposite directions.

7. A vapor rectifier comprising an exhausted envelop, provided with anegative electrode and' a main chamber therefor, positive electrodes forconnect/ion to a source of alternating current, and separate tubularchambers surrounding the positive electrodes and provided with at leastone bend leading to apertures opening into the main chamber in oppositedirections.

8. A vapor rectifier comprising an exhausted envelop, provided with anegative electrode and a main chamber therefor, positive electrodes forconnection to a source of alternating current, and' separate tubularchambers surrounding the positive electrodes and provided with at leastone bend leading to apertures opening in different directions into themain chamber.

9. A vapor rectifier having a vaporizable cathode, a cathode chambersurrounding the same, a plurality of arc tubes Vopening into saidchamber and extending outward thereform, bends in said arc tubes, andsolid anodes located beyond said bends and alternating in potential.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of October,1904.

ALEXANDER M. JACKSON.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, IIELEN ORFORD.

